Help with Alienware 14?

So some other things Some folders are "access denied". They're pale folders. If it's relevant they are: Config.Msi Documents and Settings MSOCache ProgramData System Recovery System Volume Information Not sure if I'm making this up, but the screen is dimmer on full brightness. I got this laptop in August 31 2013. What else would be useful to list? Nothing seems wrong other than the Internet. I do not have access to Ethernet so I'm not sure if it's just the wireless or Internet in general. If anything else is needed I can say. I just want to get back to games online, solitaire has its limits. I'm hoping I'm just being a dumbass and missing some obvious thing, but I can't for the life of me figure this out. Any help would be welcomed, even if you think it's probably not that. Thanks in advance.

Oh wow, I was being a dumbass. Ran troubleshoot through control panel, right away it finds my wireless driver and reinstalls it. Currently have limited connectivity but hey, progress. Went to network and Internet, sharing area. Said was experiencing problems. Stuck here now. "There might be a problem with the driver for the wireless network connection 2 adapter A network cable is not properly plugged in or may be broken"

I just restored it to a couple of days ago, I'll try updating it again later. It is, I suppose, resolved. (though my folders are still all weird)

I understand that you want to fix it yourself, but it is faster and less stressful ---If you still have support, I strongly recommend that you call Alienware support for your country.   They have been helpful to me.  I suspect that you might be able to plug in an ethernet cable, then they could remote your desktop and get things fixed.  

You did not say when you bought machine, or if you have the extended warranty still in effect.

You are not clear on what precipitated your needing to re install drivers, or update BIOS.  Knowing that might be needed to allow someone to be more helpful.  

I suspect one of the real Alienware people will come along here, and provide some useful info for you. 

I bought it August 2013 so it ran out August 2014, would they help me?

I thought it was fixed but it's really not. All the restore points where it was working are overwritten. Troubleshooter won't work, I can't access a hell of a lot of it, and every time it updates itself it just breaks again.

Some times it would boot up in 800x600 with windows aero not working and would lag on the damn system games, which were so pixelated.

And basically I was interested in keeping it updated. My touchpad wouldn't turn off so I found the relevant driver, but also went for the recommended ones. How I wish I didn't do that.

My list: 

. Backup what you have. In my case, I believe to several external hard drives.   That is make sure you have multiple copies of your system as it is now.   I like to make clone copies of my hard drive when I am likely to about to use the backup to restore.   I know that Incremental Backups, and such are like what happens to System CheckPoints.   The one I need gets written over to save a bunch of Check Points which are after the problem occurs.   In my experience, incremental backups find unique creative sneaky ways to fail just when you need them.  

.   Make a list of all the things you need to do a factory reinstall, even if you are not doing it. It is good to be prepared of something else goes wrong.

. Poke about a bit and find all the serial numbers to all of the software packages you have.  Save them on both a USB Key, and perhaps clearly written on paper (I would usually lose that in like a week).  I recently reinstalled Windows to my Alienware 14 and found I did not have the Serial number for M$ Office, and the one for the antivirus I paid for.  What a pain. One usually can not pull a Serial Number off an installed piece of software that is on a back up. Sometimes one can if the program is running.  

. Get out of your browser all the things, like favorites, Login Passwords.   A list of the browser plugins you use.   Also put on USB key.

. Password to your email account(s.) Put onto USB key.

. Put a copy of the Registry on that USB key.  

. Password to WiFi you use. On USB key

. A list of all the programs you use. Text file on USB key.

. Actually, If I backed up my computer to several different hard drives, as a clone copy, not one of these backup programs that will eventually eradicate the first copy of my back up.   And I had a sure knowledge of all the Software Serial Numbers.  I would go to the Dell site and get all the correct drivers exactly for my machine, put those on the USB key.

. Use the Alienware Back up program to create DVD's to restore my computer from scratch. And the Windows repair program. These are the ones you probably created when your first got the Alienware, and now you can not find, or they are damaged. If you still have them undamaged, sitting right at your hand, then great.  

. Then I would feel free to run the Diagnostics tests, which can be found on my laptop (a 14 inch off a 2013 design) by Powering On the computer while pressing the F12 Key every two seconds.   At least I think it is the F12 Key.   F2 goes into BIOS.

. My situation may be a bit different than yours, Windows 8 allows one to re-install all the OS without touching my personal data.  However, I know as I just did that several times. It loses all the third party programs, and their associated Serial Numbers, permission to work and all that.  

. Then I would drink a cup of coffee and think of doing either a Windows Reinstall of some kind or a Back to Factory re-Install.  

.   In earlier versions of Windows, some thought it best to re-install Windows every year or so..

. Consider, this would be a good time to think of one was going to put in a new hard drive (SSD?)   Then one could get a box to put the original hard drive in, and it could be there for one of the copies of the computer.   However, I have been told it is a bad idea to clone Windows and personal files to an SSD from a spinning hard drive.

.   Raising the question, having you blown out the insides recently?  

. I hear Windows 10 upgrade will be free to you, and is expected to be well tested and out this summer. (Maybe??) Windows 10 is available to anyone who wants to test it.

. Keeping in mind that it while Re-installing Windows (you do have that Serial Number?)  to factory condition goes quickly.   Finding all the other third party programs, downloading them, installing them, is a real pain. 

. When it starts to do Windows Download and Update.  Mine just barely starts and then goes into a black screen until that finishes.  That is one of those all night things.  Some think their Video Driver has failed during this time.   It is just that it does not give a good message as to what it is doing. 

. There is also having written by next to your hand things like how to get into “Safe Mode,” which runs without the video drivers, being the place where you would re-install the video drivers if the ones you have ran amok. Or any drivers for that matter.  

. I know that I have a computer shop not very far away that I trust to be honest.   If I had a problem like yours, they would back up what I have, and re-install Windows, then my personal files and such for ???.  But not those things which have Serial Numbers or That is a lot of questions I just asked you.  Do you have a computer repair store you trust?  Can you afford to pay them to go through the process of backing up your computer and then doing a factory re-install., Do you feel competent to do it yourself.   I think the minimum for doing any kind of opening the case, like putting in a new Hard Drive (or SSD) is over a hundred.   While they might Re-install Windows.   You would still need to re-install all of your settings, Programs, enter serial numbers.   And so on.

. Do you have easily available a second online computer that you could look up information to help while doing this? 

. EDIT:  Some of those pale Folders.  M$ tries to keep us out of some folders.   While there are ways to get into them, one can make a lot of trouble for oneself fiddling with them.  Not sure if those are ones that are reserved to Windows only..

If it matters, I would not upgrade Video Drivers from Microsoft Update.   It tends not to end well.   I would only get Touch Pad driver from Dell Site, which is what Synaptics itself suggests.  

It was doing an upgrade of the Touch Pad which blew mine up as well.   I can sympathize.   

EDIT:   If it helps.   Alienware Support did not directly get it working again.   Finally ended up telling me to Re-install Windows.   However some of the odds and ends of information were very helpful when I did that.

You have to look up your own Warranty info.   I bought two years, just because I know I do unusual things with computers, and I was entranced by the idea if some one spilled coffee under it, or I dropped it, Alienware  would fix it. 

If you are out of Warranty, then they are supposed to ask for payment for so many minutes.   However, in the end, they are only likely to fiddle around for awhile, not get it really working right, then suggest you do a ReInstall of Windows.  

Yes, I have recently gone through some sequences that involved driver updates gone awry.  

I also do not know how much you know.   So please do not feel offended if I suggest something you have already tried.  

I find this site interesting:    

Might be something on that site you find to be helpful.  

I have read some on the Alienware Forum who feel drivers must be installed in a particular order. 

When I tried to do the Re-Install of Windows that was not supposed to damage my personal files, it lost all my third party programs, and their associated Serial-Activation-Registration numbers. plus all the stuff in my browsers.   I mention that because what happened is that when I got online, (and it did keep my WiFi password, so I did not know I was online)  It went off to update itself with M$, which brings up a black screen until it finishes.   I thought my Video drivers had failed.   Which led me to call Alienware Tech Support, and they suggest a Factory Re-set.   Like I just got the computer from the factory.   UH, not necessary.   I just needed to ignore the black screen and let it run all night.  

Do you know how to get into Windows "Safe Mode." for your Alienware.  It is where usually the most basic windows drivers are running, and one can install new hardware drivers when the computer is not feeling well, or (I have been told) re-install an older Registry File.   I suspect that you may need to know very soon.  

 Still I think you want to create a list of all the things to do, to get to doing a Factory ReSet before you do much more.   You may be about to have to do either a Windows ReInstall or a Factory Re Set. 

I hope the Alienware guy comes along and offers better advice than I about how to exactly fix what is happening with you.  

So at the moment it runs and is connected to the Internet. Until this changes I've decided to leave it exactly how it is, not letting it update itself, no drivers, no nothing. When this changes I am going to follow the replies. I don't want to mess around with this until I have to since it's not something I've done before.

I have backed up all the photos, videos, documents and whatever. I've made a list of what programmes are on it and how to get them (thanks to steam and origin this will be much smoother).

How do I find the serial of my McAfee and Microsoft office? Is there anything else I need to look out?

While I do have another laptop it's... not great. It connects to the Internet when it wants to, it takes almost an hour to boot up, it overheats every half hour. I wouldn't say I'd rely on it to connect me to the Internet if I need drivers but I could always try.

Really, thank you so much for these replies. They are useful, I've saved the link to this.

I found out that the M$ Office Activation code was on a card in the original box. That is also among the stuff that I send back when I had the first computer returned because it was DOA. Then I sent its replacement in to have the DC connector fixed. So nothing came back to me on the repair but a working Alienware 14. When I re-installed Windows, and needed the M$ Office Activation code, then Alienware, after my explanations and some days, Alienware sent me an M$ Office Activation Code. I am not sure if they are so helpful if one has just lost their card. Microsoft said they could have helped me out with Activation Code, If I had bought Office from Microsoft, rather than Dell. There is something about Registering your current Office with Microsoft, and then when one logs into ones M$ account, one can directly download the product from their. Not sure how that works. Nor where to look to look in a working Windows to find key. I was told one can not find the code from the back up. Although if one reloaded the backup, it should work as before.

.........I do not use McAfee. I do know that Bit Defender Antivirus support emailed me my activation code, as I had it registered by my email addy. FWIW. .........

.............The other day I just started a Windows 7 tower I had not used in a long time. M$ Update would not run saying that the Update Service was not running. Googling I found the advice that one could restart the Update Service by explicitly turning off all updates, the bottom least desired option. Then rebooting, then doing a manual update. Then the auto feature of update will start working again. Or something like that.

...........I started to say, you could try to boot a Live CD of Linux to have a working computer. Then you could leave the Windows partition alone, and still have a working computer. However that would take hours of learning to use it. Ubuntu Linux is likely to be a full featured option for the Alienware, mostly it would be easy to understand. The older computer, except for its overheating, might run quite fast with one of the versions of Puppy Linux. Likely it is too much trouble.